R Connections

Angela Keith

928-380-1880 / [email protected]

Vince Padilla

[email protected]

 Amy DeKeyser Padilla

 [email protected]

Dear Class of 1995: There are so many exciting things to report in this fall letter, so let’s jump right in!

First and perhaps the most exciting, next summer we celebrate our 25-year reunion! I’m a little in awe of that number. When I used to volunteer at Alumni Weekends, I’d look at those coming back for their 25th and think “Wow, they’re getting old!” Well, now I’m just hoping nobody thinks the same about us. This is a big one, so PLEASE consider planning your summer vacation around coming back to Ripon for Alumni Weekend 2020, which will be June 26-28.

Lodging already is available at Comfort Suites under the Alumni Weekend block, while other hotels are still in the works. If you want to really take a trip down memory lane, you also can reserve on-campus housing in the dorms. More detailed information will be available closer to the date, but again, we’d really love to see so many of you come back and reminisce with us! If anyone wants to help with reunion planning, let us know!

A new addition to the Ripon website has been created! Check out www.ripon.edu/rconnections. Here you will find news, alumni gatherings, obituaries, class letters and photos. You also can submit your own news and information.

On May 1, Ripon College held its second annual #OneDayRally, where alumni banded together on social media to support our alma mater. There were 1,446 alumni who made donations to the Ripon Fund, totaling $1,085,314. What a fantastic fundraising effort! Thanks to all of you who donated to the College in the last fiscal year, whether it was during the #OneDayRally or another time. The College and its current students truly appreciate our support.

In some personal news, Vince and I are taking life on the road!  For those of you who may not be Facebook friends with us and know this already, we have decided to take life in a non-traditional direction. Before another long Wisconsin winter sets in, we hope to purge most of our belongings, sell our house, move into our RV and travel the country. It is a concept called full-time RV’ing, and an estimated one million people are already doing it. We look forward to new adventures, and also plan to share our journey on social media under the brand “We Could Be Lost.” We hope you will follow us!

We’ll be in touch with more reunion information as soon as possible. We’re already looking forward to seeing everyone next summer!

AMY DEKEYSER PADILLA ’95

GREGORY “GREG” FLEGEL ’95 is a senior revenue analyst with Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. He also serves on the board of directors of Woodland Pattern Book Center. 

Submitted by: Amy DeKeyser Padilla

Kimberly Woolley

[email protected] / www.facebook.com/kimbo.woolley / www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-woolley-a903959

TODD JOHNSON ’94 of Powell, Wyoming, received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation during Alumni Weekend in June. He is retired as a lieutenant colonel after a 22-year career in the U.S. Army and now is a park ranger with the National Park Service.

KATRIN HERBOLSHEIMER LINDBERG ’94 of Hastings, Minnesota: “I am being recognized in the top 10% of Farmers Insurance agents for the eighth year in a row.”

MICHAEL BASILE ’94 retired as the coach for the Pewaukee High School boys’ basketball team after his twins graduated from Pewaukee and headed off to college.

MICHELLE BENEDICT ’94 of Honolulu Oahu, spends up to 20 hours a week teaching tricks to puffer fish at the Dolphin Quest in Hawaii. She has taught more than 15 species and more than 50 individual fish impressive cognitive games that can take between a few sessions and a few months. Her video of a trained puffer fish has gone viral with over 13 million views. Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/any-fin-is-possible-meet-the-reel-y-obedient-fish–who-can-perform-tricks-from-swimming-through-hoops-to-recognising-shapes-and-colours/vi-BBLU3Eb. 

TODD JOHNSON ’94 also was featured in a short documentary film about veterans working in the National Park Service. He works as a park ranger and social media coordinator for the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Lovell, Wyoming. Todd also wrote a blog, “President Trump Needs to make some Huuuge Changes, and Soon.”  My favorite line from the blog is: “The Trump decision-making matrix seems to have more in common with an Etch-A-Sketch than a deliberative process.” You can read the full blog at: https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/335317-president-trump-needs-to-make-some-huuuge-changes-and

DREW PETERSEN ’94 of Middleton, Wisconsin, was elected president of the University of Wisconsin System’s governing board June 7. He will determine committee memberships, sign contracts and represent the Regents in front of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the state Legislature during his one-year term.

Submitted by: Kimberly Woolley

Melinda Trainor Hutchinson

651-259-3459 / [email protected]

Hi, All. I hope you are all doing well and keeping busy. I know I have been! Busy enough to make this quite a short letter. Make sure that you’re checking in on ripon.edu and/or social media for the latest College updates. 

CHAD LOWERY ’93 was back on campus this spring since his son was selected to be a Badger Boy. Chad says, “It was wonderful to see the campus as well as stop by Roadhouse for my very favorite chicken sandwich with cheese puffs. The food tasted the same and brought back memories of some very good times.”

TERRI MORGAN ’93 earned her graduate certificate in real estate development from Portland State University (December 2018) and her Economic Development Finance Professional Certificate from National Development Council (spring 2019). 

Send your updates — we’d love to hear from you! Make sure you keep your contact information updated so you don’t miss any Ripon news. Contact the Alumni Office directly with changes at [email protected] or via U.S. mail to the Alumni Office, Ripon College, PO Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971.  

Thank you!

MELINDA

Submitted by: Melinda Trainor Hutchinson

JuDee Stojsavljevic Fischer

262-681-8509 / [email protected]

Bonni Dembroski Fredrick

262-796-1531 / [email protected]

Erin Marie McCormack

[email protected]

Greetings, Class of 1992. I am writing to you on this occasion from the hallowed halls of Ripon College, the nice lounge area in the lower level of Pickard Commons to be exact. It’s a beautiful space and very peaceful in the summer months. I can imagine that the energy of the students just brings it alive during the school year. And this fall, Ripon will welcome 253 new freshmen to campus bringing even more energy to the student body. Which is why I’m on campus right now. It is summer orientation for those incoming students and I have a new role in the Ripon family: as a parent of a student. Jonathan and I are thrilled that our daughter has chosen Ripon as the place that felt like home and where she will be spending the next four years.

While on campus, I had the opportunity to speak to our classmate TARA LACHAPELL ’92, executive director of information technology services, following her presentation to incoming students and their parents. I learned then that Tara’s son also had attended Ripon. I am also aware that JASON ZANCK ’92 and STACY SEEFELDT ZANCK ’93 are the parents of a current student at Ripon, and it got me wondering how many of us have sent legacy students on to Ripon as well. So if you have a child who has either graduated from Ripon already or is a current student, reach out and share that news. We’d all love to hear from you.

There is actually an amazing new alumni website portal, www.ripon.edu/rconnections, that allows us to each individually post our updates and you can even post pictures. You can search the portal by class year and other criteria and see all the latest happening with your classmates. It’s a great tool for staying in touch with Ripon and connect to the vast alumni network we have. Check it out today, and while you are there catching up on what is going on with your old Ripon friends, be sure to make your own post by clicking on the “Add My Story” button and let us all know what is new in your world or share some pictures from your latest gathering with Ripon friends.

On the subject of class updates, congratulations to AMIE DOUGHTY ’92 on her promotion to full professor of English at SUNY Oneonta. You can read more about what is going on with Amy and her involvement with the Popular Culture Association. Thank you to Amie for using the new R Connections site!

TARA LACHAPELL ’92, executive director of informational technology at Ripon College, was part of the panel “Women in Leadership: Driving a Culture of Inclusivity” June 25, 2019, at the ACUHO-I 2019 Conference & Expo in Toronto, Canada.

LISA MAHNKE ’92 of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, has joined Bicycle Therapeutics as senior vice president and head of clinical. Bicycle Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pioneering a new class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide product platform.

Warm Regards,

BONNI DEMBROSKI FREDRICK ’92

Submitted by: Bonni Fredrick Dembroski

Tracy Maher

401-225-9189 / [email protected]

Samantha Bailey

612-978-4124 / [email protected]

Greetings, Class of 1991! Welcome to the fall 2019 class letter. I think we may be in a fallow period — fewer exciting weddings/births/job changes but not yet time for announcing retirements or updates about children moving into the weddings-and-births phase. Updates are a bit sparse — not sure if the switch to the electronic in the spring/paper in the fall has thrown us off our rhythm, but I opted to duplicate the updates from spring so the messages below are a mix of a few you may have seen online in the spring with a couple new. Please take this as a cue to do some sharing even if you’re experiencing mid-life stasis. 

SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91: “Marking a year at Optum. Grateful for challenging work and a steady paycheck; less so for a nasty commute fighting the Minneapolis traffic. Spouse and kiddo will leave soon for their annual road trip to Canada, giving me several weeks of solitude that I look forward to more than I actually enjoy. We’re deep in the season where I neglect housework in favor of yard work and I have the mosquito bites to prove it. By the time this letter is published, the vegetable garden will have been harvested and put to bed but at the moment the plants are still spindly and it’s hard to imagine that lush end of summer bonanza.”

KARL FELD ’91: “It’s summer in the Carolinas. I’m planning a weekend getaway with all three daughters to the Carolina beach for Father’s Day and a big trip out to LA for the Fourth with my kids still living at home. Moved into a new home last month but still in North Carolina and working for Ipsos Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. The move put my studies for Ph.D. exams on hold, but planning to get back to that in the fall. Best to everyone!”

BECKY HUSTAD FREY ’91 and BRIAN FREY ’91: “We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Arizona in October, including Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona and many points in between. It was unseasonably cold and rainy, but we managed to have a great time anyway, hiking and seeing the sights.”  

CHARLIE MERWIN ’91: “Ellen and I are doing great in Barrington, Illinois, where I am still overseeing the Chicago northwest suburbs for a national financial services firm. We had a lot of travel this year with trips to Italy, France and England. Our son, JOHN MERWIN ’16, was in Mozambique with the U.S. Army but is back at Fort Drum, New York, now with his wife REBECCA MCLAIN ’16. Our youngest, Katherine, has graduated from college and lives in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Our latest Ripon “reunion” was at ESA KIRRIKKI’S ’91 wedding last fall in Massachusetts.”

MAURA MURPHY ’91: “I am doing well; still living in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, with my husband, Steve, kids Truman and Claire, and dog Benji – and still working at General Mills. I am looking forward to taking a trip to the Azores this summer with JULIE ARMATOSKI ’91, HEATHER THIEME ’91, RONA HENDERSON PARSONS ’91, KRISTEN GRAY ’91 and VICKI HAAS SYMONDS ’92.”

LORI STITCH ’91: “No earth-shattering news here, since I’ve been staying closer to home lately to dote on our nearly 19-year-old kitty. With being around more, we decided to undertake some fairly significant home-improvement projects (adding several guest suites at our place in Park City … come visit!). We’ve taken a little time off here and there: managed to catch a few of the Sundance Festival films and some skiing in between (15 minutes from sitting in our living room to sitting on the lift!), and we took a four-day mini-break to relax on St. Maarten for Bernie’s 55th birthday. Christmas week in Amsterdam (airline trip), and yesterday I caught a flight to Paris last night to spend a day with him during an airline layover there before returning to the construction. But the most exciting thing lately was petting this moose when she strolled up to me as I was returning with a load of 2×4’s from Home Depot yesterday morning!”

Don’t Forget About Our Facebook Group

If you’re on Facebook, please ask to join our Class of ’91 group for updates and Ripon news. Alternatively, send your email address to [email protected] or text me at 612-978-4124 and I can add you to the group that way. 

Warmly,        

SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91

Submitted by: Samantha Bailey

Robert E. Corkery Jr.

[email protected]

Christina L. Maggio-Kellerstrass

[email protected]

Hello Classmates! As always, we hope this greeting finds you doing well!  

As we pen this letter, Alumni Weekend 2019 is now a past happening. It’s our turn next summer, and we certainly hope to have a great turnout for our 30th reunion weekend! Hard to believe that 30 years have gone by … oh where did the time go? Stay tuned for more information via social media, email and snail mail. 

JESSICA THOMAS HANNES ’90 of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is a senior director of global advocacy for Zendesk, a Madison, Wisconsin-based customer service software and support ticket system firm.

SUSAN MORGAN-LAPPE ’90 of Riverwoods, Illinois, is the senior director, Oncology Research and Anti-Cancer Drug Development, for AbbVie Inc. 

If you have news that you want included in the class letter, please send it our way so we can make sure it’s shared with all of you.

Fondly, 

BOB and CHRISTINA 

Submitted by: Robert Corkery

Nikki Zens Lindberg

[email protected]

Mitch Rosin

[email protected]

Dear Class of 1989 and Riff-Raff, by the time you read this, we should all have recovered from our 30th Reunion. It was hard to imagine Bovay Terrace as the former Beta Sig basement (and that’s a good thing, a very good thing). Thanks to all who made the trek! Our attendance was an all-time high, with more than 50 of our classmates in attendance — plus lots of Riff Raff!

Other notable changes around campus: two of the former Bovay lounges and several rooms now make up a large game space on the first floor called The Nest. It wasn’t open, but there was a familiar smell of recreational behavior nearby. Some buildings have new names, like Middle Hall is now Smith Hall and Smith is now Anderson. The gym formerly known as Storzer is amazing (and I think called Willmore).

There is a hole downtown where Bender’s once stood, but across the street was a great new brew pub. Roadhouse is very clean and well lit, but the cheese puffs and mozz sticks are still the best, especially since they come with BBQ sauce, and not ranch or marinara!

Thirty years of changes didn’t stop us from lots of reminiscing, reconnecting and memory-making. Be sure to keep in touch with us via the ’89 and Riff Raff Facebook page! Hope to see you all again in five years if not sooner!

NIKKI LINDBERG ’89

MITCH ROSIN ’89

KATHRYN SCHULTZ ’89 received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation during Alumni Weekend. She has spent 22 years in government service, first in the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and then in the U.S. Department of State where she currently is senior advisor on South Asia, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State.

JAMES CZARNIK ’89 received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation during Alumni Weekend in June. He is a colonel in the U.S. Army and for more than 30 years has served as a soldier, officer, physician and commander in special operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

SARAH ALMQUIST ’89: “Thank you to everyone who brought their needles and balls to the ‘Happy Hooking’ event! What a great turnout, and a great big thank-you to Gigi who helped us all to yarn bomb that darn tree in the quads. I swear, I was just waiting for Hiroshi to come running out of Beta Sig and light that darn yarn ablaze!”

ALICE GALLAGHER ARCHIBAL ’89: “Thank you to everyone who contributed to Ripon College this spring. It has been a great honor raising money for the College and every penny counts toward something …  even if it doesn’t go to buying new furniture for the dorms or carpeting or paint or anything else we saw at Alumni Weekend. We raised more than $40K!”

TRICIA POTTER BAUER ’89: “Well, I won again. Yes, I won the cheese curd-eating contest at Roadhouse on Friday night of Alumni Weekend for the 53rd Annual Cheese Curd-Eating Contest. I am proud to say that I successfully defended my title as Miss Ripon Curd, having eaten 112 cheese curds in five minutes at our 30th reunion! Burn, baby, burn! (the next morning, of course).”

CAL BERGMAN ’89: “I wish everyone would take college life more seriously. Topics such as ‘Rubbers or Galoshes: How to Choose,’ ‘Fraternity Life: A Brief History of the Naked Beer Slide’ and ‘Rugby: How to Pop Pass Your Balls’ are important topics facing the youths of today. Be serious, people. Great reunion!”

ROXANNE OVERSHINER BOWENS ’89: “It was such a joy to host a Sunday morning walk through the trees on the Ripon College campus during Alumni Weekend. Those of you who joined me, I’m sure, had a wonderful time as we hugged trees, took selfies with trees, and, of course, posed for the best glam shots while looking around trees. I hope to do this for our next big reunion, too! Nothing like wood on a Sunday morning!”

AMY WALDER CARRINGTON ’89: “Screw the White Sox. I’m a G-D CUBS FAN!” 

CRAIG CASPER ’89: “Having recently moved to Mount Juliet, Tennessee, I realized that my dream of moving to another nowhere place isn’t all that. Maybe I should have looked at San Luis Obispo or Boston? Oh, what am I saying?? No place will ever compare to Mount Juliet!”

TOBI CAWTHRA ’89: “What a great Alumni Weekend and 30th Reunion! I had a wonderful time and hope to see everyone again soon.” 

SCOTT CHAMBERS ’89: “It was a true honor to share my family slides from our trip to Washington, D.C., in the Shaler Lounge at Alumni Weekend. Thank you, DONNA DRAKE MUNSCH ’89, for watching the entire show! I didn’t expect it to take 5.5 hours, but your enthusiasm for the bland pushed me to show every single slide from our trip. Thank you also for offering to share your family’s vacation to Tipton, Kansas, on Dropbox. … I can’t wait to see your pics! With a population of only 200, I’m sure you captured everyone in town!”

CAROLYN CLARK ’89: “As the local Marco Island chapter president of the Barbara Bush Foundation, sponsoring a tea during Alumni Weekend (June 28-30) in MLK Lounge to discuss pearl clutching was a highlight of my weekend on campus.” 

GIGI HICKS DECKER ’89: “Wow! As a lifelong ‘Happy Hooker,’ I could not be happier with how our yarn bombing went at Alumni Weekend! I loved throwing open the kimono and sharing my swatches, tassels and that sultry garter stitches! See the pics on the ’89 Facebook page! Including the yarn bombing of Mitch’s head!”

LINDA GLAUBITZ DECRAMER ’89 and LAIRD DECRAMER ’77 of Princeton, Wisconsin, report that both of their children are currently Ripon students. “The Ripon tradition continues. Although our kids are polar opposites, CALLISTA DECRAMER ’20 (suave, sophisticated and likes to tango) and SULLIVAN DECRAMER ’21 (overzealous, long-haired and always looking for cash) both work tirelessly towards their goals.”

PAUL DONALDSON ’89: “Well, I wanted to attend Alumni Weekend, but if I have any chance of beating Mitch on the number of nights in hotels and flights for the year, I need to keep traveling. My stallion, however, was indeed ridden hard and put up wet. Also, my belt buckle is larger than described. Yippie Ki-Yay!”

OUSSAMA EL-HILALI ’89: “I smiled. AND I went to the reunion!”

PAT FLORENCE ’89 didn’t attend Alumni Weekend. He also has no cell phone, avoids social media, and lives the life of a hermit in the mountains outside Albuquerque, where he grows Hatch Green Chilies and mumbles incoherently about how New Mexico chilies are better than anything Marc A. Healy or Craig Casper could ever grow. Way to go, Pat, we will all waive on our way to the balloon festival!

GREG FRASIER ’89 cooked up a storm at Alumni Weekend bringing P.J. Clarke’s famous Crispy Haystack Onions at our 30th Reunion! Greg’s expert use of herbs and spices made mouths drool and eyes pop as we sidled up to the cooker with our Black Label Lights!

DARLENE HONIE-LOYER GERICK ’89: “Wow! What a WONDERFUL 30th Reunion! I loved seeing everyone and the event on Saturday night at Bovay Terrace was fantastic. Of course, with the 18 pounds of coke I brought, we were guaranteed to have a special night. Keep on breaking bad!”

SCOTTIE NICHOLS GIROUARD ’89: “Performing for Doc Woolley at the Alumni Weekend was wonderful. My interpretive dance  ‘A Tribute to Doc Woolley: A Short History of Everything,’ was well-received. I look forward to our next reunion!”

JIM GLADE ’89: “I’ll learn to work the saxophone. I play just what I feel. Drink Scotch whiskey all night long and die behind the wheel.” 

JULIE TAYLOR GONDAR ’89: “I hope everyone had a wonderful time at the reunion. Sorry I couldn’t attend but can’t start early enough on the work needed to get T-Rump out of office!” 

KRIS PEHLE GRASSE ’89: “What an amazing weekend we had at the reunion! I loved seeing everyone and getting my fingers in everyone’s hair! Thanks to everyone who let me fluff, streak and Brazilian!”

BEN GUZMAN ’89 and RAMON GUZMAN ’89: “OK, so fine. We are really the same person. What of it, Healy??”

CHRIS HANNES ’89: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me. Oh, and I did attend the reunion with Jess!”

TED HARWOOD ’89: “Yes, beluga whales. Do you really have to ask? #belugachip Come on, people. This is 2019!”

KATHY HAYEVSKY ’89: “I was totally thrilled to join the festivities at our 30th Reunion. As someone who has spent my entire life in Oak Park, Illinois, getting away for a weekend represented a departure from Ernest Hemingway reading circles and Frank Lloyd Wright house tours that consume my time and attention. Granted, living in the same town that gave us Betty White and Kathy Griffin has produced a little bit of a wild side, but I loved my fancy-free time in Ripon! Ooohh, I still have goose bumps from driving through Fond du Lac!”

KURT HEUSER ’89: “Wow. Alumni Weekend was AMAZING! What a great experience. Of course, it would have been better if someone hadn’t bumped my car, but then again, my pals at Dean Sellers Ford fixed the ding and repainted it! “

DON KOCH JR. ’89: “I am NOT Donald Trump Jr.” 

DAVID LUONGO ’89 reports that he had an amazing Alumni Weekend! He read his favorite selections from “Musings: The Ruminations of Doogie Howser” on Sunday morning at Alumni Weekend. This special event took place in Evans Lounge. Milk was served and a great time was had by all.

JOHN MATHEWSON ’89: “The Alumni Weekend Annual LAX game on Upper Sadoff Field was great! This year we served beef and Guinness hand pies! I also had haggis, but I didn’t share that with anyone. It was just for me.”

DON MCCREATH ’89 attended Alumni Weekend. Yup. He was there all right … photobombing pics, streaking through the quads, and handing out those damn forsythia blooms.

ANNE BURCHMORE MIES ’89: “I can’t thank my photo therapist enough for preparing me for Alumni Weekend. I look fabulous in all the pics and was ready with totally flattering poses.  Thank you all for making our 30th Reunion so much fun!”

KRISTIN ADOMEIT MOORE ’89: “I am so sad that I couldn’t attend our 30th Reunion. But I continue to troll airports for old people in Ripon sweatshirts. It is amazing how many old people wear these things. Of course, none of them actually attended Ripon, but it seems that the sweatshirts are very popular at Goodwill stores.”

DONNA DRAKE MUNSCH ’89: “I attended Alumni Weekend. Got a problem with that?”

BARB THOMPSON PAMPERIN ’89: “Now that I have won BOTH the bean bag tourney at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church AND the Frisbee golf tourney at Alumni Weekend, I plan to focus on tatting doilies! I love those intricate designs, and they look so wonderful on my window sill.” 

PHILIP ROBINSON ’89: “What a great 30th Reunion and Alumni Weekend! While I had planned to have my hair join me for the festivities, it turns out that my hair booked a separate trip to the Maldives and had a great time on its own.” 

AMY ROSNER ’89: “A Lattice Theory Approach to the Structure of Mental Models is selling so good, I was able to take a cruise to Alaska! It was also great to see everyone at Alumni Weekend. Please buy my book!”

PATRICK SCHMIDT ’89 writes that he is still Wally. This was confirmed by his behavior at Alumni Weekend. 

KATHRYN SCHULTZ ’89: “I cannot confirm if I was at Alumni Weekend.” But, she did present the class check, sign the College song, and represented ’89 amazingly well! She also cannot verify that she actually wrote this update for the ’89 newsletter.

DAVE STAPELFELDT ’89: “It was great seeing everyone at our 30th Reunion! Sorry about the smell, but you know I just can’t help myself sometimes. Farting is in my blood, and ya gotta follow your passion. Hope to see all of you at the next World Fart Championships which will be held in January 2020 in the beautiful city of Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä, Finland.”

TIM TOPOREK ’89: “As a lifelong pin-pusher, had an amazing time at Alumni Weekend.” He shared his bowling passion by hosting the internationally acclaimed league team, The Bowling Stones, in a rousing game of lawn bowling on the Tri-Dorms lawn. He also showed off his huge trophy and tournament-winning balls.

RACHEL WALSTAD ’89: “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.”

HEATHER JONES WELLS ’89: “There’s nothing so tragic as seeing a family pulled apart by something as simple as a pack of wolves.”

DAVID WEMETT ’89: “I am so proud of my ‘Pumpkins Painted with Seahorses’ art exhibition! As you all know (because I can see how many of you follow the show online), the show officially opened at the Caestecker Art Gallery during Alumni Weekend. Thank you all for your wonderful comments about the octopi and starfish, also painted on pumpkins. The pumpkins were my favorite. I am excited to announce that the inspiration for my next show came from Alumni Weekend and will be titled, ‘Clamato! Squirt Clams and the Roma Tomato.’”

BARB WHITSTONE ’89: “I love my blue flannel shirt. I wore it at Alumni Weekend. Every day. Even slept in it!”

TIM WIEDMEYER ’89: “Thank you all for supporting the launch of my HGTV show, ‘Tim’s Tools: How to Screw, Grind, and Butt-Weld Like an Expert.’ I am sad to report that the show was short-lived, but will now appear as reruns on TLC (Sundays at 3:30 a.m.). Please watch, I’m hoping to get a new show soon!”

Submitted by: Nicole Lindberg

David Jonas 

202-251- 9640 / [email protected]

Kathy Wade 

248-470-4336 / [email protected]

Greetings classmates from David! I was just reminded that 35 years ago we were just celebrating our proms and graduation from high school. Several of my classmates from high school have posted a Facebook page and posed the question of getting together, but when I asked on the page what was already planned it was like “radio silence.” Having gone to a school with 400 students in my class, you would think there would be someone out there with some ideas (besides me). Of course, who doesn’t want to visit Chicago in the middle of the summer (HEAT WAVE). I don’t think I have been back to a high school class reunion ever!  

Social media has made the connection of classmates from Ripon and high school seem like we just saw each other yesterday. I feel more connected and am able to follow professors, classmates and the school itself. But Ripon with its small class sizes and location made the friendships formed while in school more lasting and the draw to stay connected easier.  

I would like to share an invitation to the first-ever (or at least since I have lived in 

D.C./Baltimore, 19 years) Ripon Rally Hour at my house Nov. 21 in Baltimore. The D.C. region was looking for locations and if you are in Philly, New York, D.C., Delaware or visiting from out of town, please stop by it really is just a short Uber/drive (or train ride to Penn Station). Really! Email me if you would like to rsvp at [email protected].

MARCIA LIBBY NACHREINER ’88: “I have been teaching elementary music to grades 1-5 for the past three years in Poynette, Wisconsin. Next year it will be grades K-4 in preparation for the move to our new school in 2020. I have two children in college now. Randy is at UW-Parkside and Libby is at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. My youngest, Linnea, will be a junior in high school this fall.”

CARL TOMPKINS ’88: “I quit my job last year and used my GI Bill to get a paramedic license. I am almost done. If you want to reach me, my email address is [email protected].”

WADE WICKUS ’88:“We live in Cincinnati Ohio. Almaluna is 5 and Mateo is 7. Maryliana and I are having a blast in Ohio with the kids. We go to Wisconsin every Fourth of July. My email is: [email protected] should anyone want to be old-fashioned and email me vs Facebook. 

“I created a Brockway Bash page on Facebook to keep those memories alive. There are some great nuggets out there. If anyone has other pictures or other things to post, please let me know. I am happy to do so.”

MICHELLE EBERT WITT ’88: “I’m still keeping in regular contact with MARIE MATTIA ’88, PHIL TROBAUGH ’88 and PAT GONYO ’88. Coming back for Alumni Weekend was special this year to see KATHRYN SCHULTZ ’89 receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. Being invited to sing the Alma Mater at the Saturday luncheon with her and other folks from ’89/’90 was a real treat! It was my first time back not on a class reunion year and it was just as interesting to see people I spent at least three years with at Ripon. I highly recommend coming back for a visit if it has been a while.”

In closing, we want to thank everyone who contributed to the 2018-2019 Ripon Fund.  

Submitted by: David Jones

Dorrie Smith Scranton

860-455-6108 / [email protected]

Chris Templeton

312-402-6207 / [email protected]

Hello, Class of 1987! As always, we hope this note finds you well. As we write this letter, other classes are celebrating their reunions, so let the countdown begin: three years until our 35th Ripon College reunion. Or is it our 25th? 40th? Save the date!

We’ve seen a lot of you celebrating anniversaries and graduations. Takes us back to our graduation so many years ago on that hot spring day.

DORRIE and CHRIS

GEOFF BLANCO ’87 is president of Riggs Outdoor Power Equipment, an established retailer in northwestern Indiana. Check it out if you’re need for tractor supply equipment. 

MICHAEL J. BROSE ’87 of New Richmond, Wisconsin, was appointed to Gov. Tony Evers’ Governor’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee, responsible for interviewing and recommending candidates to the governor for consideration when he fills judicial vacancies. Brose practices civil litigation with an emphasis on plaintiff’s personal injury at Doar, Drill & Skow, S.C. in New Richmond. Brose is a contributing author to The Wisconsin Rules of Evidence: A Courtroom Handbook.

JENNIFER BROWN FRY ’87 celebrates her daughter’s graduation from medical school – what an amazing accomplishment!  

BETSY MEYERS KNIGHT ’87 shares a proud Mom moment as her son, David, is off to Minneapolis for a summer internship at Collins Aerospace. How exciting!

SCOTT MULLIN ’87 is enjoying his summer and looking to lead a group of local classmates on a spring 2020 hiking and canoeing trip in the Wisconsin north woods. Contact him if you’re interested.

Submitted by: Dorrie Smith Scranton

Dan McNaughton

612-209-2996 / [email protected]

HENRY ALAN LEONARD ’86 of Cape May, New Jersey, is the new rector of Church of the Advent. He began officiating at services Feb. 3, 2019. He previously served in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.

DOUGLAS COLE ’86 was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He is a partner at Organ Cole LLP in Columbus, Ohio, representing clients in complex litigation and intellectual property matters.

JOE CULLEN ’86 has been named chief investment officer at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, with his duties beginning Sept. 16, 2019. Cullen will be responsible for managing the investment portfolios of Penn State’s more than $4 billion long-term investment pool. He previously was the chief investment officer for the Montana Board of Investments and head of institutional portfolio management at Fidelity Investments in Boston.

CONNIE REDMANN JARVIS ’86 of Caryville, Florida: “Retired from the city of Cape Coral, Florida, in January 2018. Moved to north Florida to be in the country.”

PAUL WITT ’86 of Eagle, Colorado: “Living in Eagle, Colorado, for 22 years now and still loving it. I’m finishing up my fourth year of teaching fifth grade (career #4!) and I think I’ve finally found what I want to do when I grow up. I do still work part time for Vail Resorts as well, and just hit my 25th anniversary with them which means a lifetime ski pass! My oldest son, Ben, graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy this May and is commissioning into the Marines as a 2nd lieutenant, heading to flight school in Pensacola. My middle son, David, is finishing his second year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and will be playing with tanks and armored vehicles this summer. Youngest son Sebastian (currently a sophomore in high school) has been named to the AAU National Karate team and will be heading to Budapest and Slovakia to compete in June before heading off on a service trip to Nepal in July. If anyone ever gets up to the Vail/Beaver Creek area, let me know!”

Submitted by: Dan McNaughton

Heather McFadden Barrie

262-628-1377 /  [email protected]

The Powerful Impact College Has on Our Life Beyond Graduation

While we may reminisce about our high school years – sporting achievements, academic successes, first dates, first break-ups, homecoming, prom, graduation, etc. – those memories represent a chunk of time in our life that is finite. It’s four years, surrounded by four walls, that left a stamp on our lives forever between the ages of 14 and 18.

Reminiscing about our college experience, however, has no border. Our college experience resonates within our daily lives from the moment we graduate to the day we die. Our college experience shapes our lives forever.

Ripon College has … in some shape or form …

• Developed our independence
• Made us our own best self-advocate
• Sharpened our risk-taking skills
• Tested our ability to negotiate
• Mastered our problem-solving abilities
• Forced us to be excellent communicators
• Armed us to persevere during any headwind

And most importantly …

• Set the stage for us to become lifelong learners

Our college years tug at our heart strings, too, as classmates respond to “The thing I miss most about college life is … ”

• Seeing all my best friends from Ripon every day! – JULI WELK JENSEN ’85
• Playing cribbage with friends. – JOHN SHORT ’85
• Hanging out with RUTH ANNE GERO ADAMS ’85 every day. Talking to Dr. Schang. – KATHIE BRINKMAN ’85
• … feeling I was actually in control of my schedule! – JIM ESTEN ’85

Ahhhh, to go back to our college days … not necessary. We live those days every day by the person we’ve become because of our college experience.

However, if those heartstring memories of your college experience are tugging at you more and more, then it’s time, my fellow classmates, to mark your calendar for our 35th Ripon College Reunion – June 25-28, 2020!  

Stay tuned for more information! And, if you’re interested in serving on the 35th Ripon College Reunion planning committee, let me know! I know I’m looking forward to next year’s reunion.

Here’s to memories – living them every day!

HEATHER MCFADDEN BARRIE ’85

Submitted by: Heather McFadden Barrie

Virginia Vicha Erickson

847-546-2775 / [email protected] 

Connie Herbon Moser

847-372-5410/ [email protected]

Wow, our 35th college reunion has come and gone. What a weekend! So many highlights to mention. Many started the weekend playing in the Doc Weiske Charity Golf Scramble.  Highlights of the golf scramble: a) JAYNE RASMUSSEN EMORY ’84, KEVIN KING ’82 and their golf partners won first place. b) KEVIN and LORI JONES KING ’84 hosted the after-party. THANKS Kevin and Lori. c) CONNIE HERBON MOSER ’84 won the Yeti cooler. And d) all of us mortal golfers came in somewhere south of Jayne and Kevin but had an awesome time!  Other golfers included SUE SHEPHERD ’84, LINDA ANDERSON ’84, CINDY BEHNKE ’85, DONNA REARDON GOLDBERG ’84, VICKI VICHA ERICKSON ’84, MIKE FRANCOLUCCI ’84, GREG HALVORSON ’84, MARK SPRAGUE ’84, SCOTT MILLER ’85, MIKE ALBERTSON ’84, JAY HYUCK ’84, and GEORGE POULETTE ’84. The golf tournament raised more than $40,000 and including more than 250 golfers!

Between the golf tournament and the Blues & BBQ party on Saturday night, many groups caught up, talked about college memories and enjoyed each other’s company; most frequented old haunts like the Goose Blind (sorry we missed you BRIAN BAXTER ’84), Norton’s and new restaurants like Thunderboss in Green Lake; many were in awe of the new Willmore health and wellness facility; some ran/walked in the 5k (alright 2.6 miles, but who’s counting … ); some attended the awards ceremony where the class of 1984 were represented well with more than $67k in donations for the reunion year and more than $300k in the last five years (THANK YOU for supporting Ripon College); some boated and thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Green Lake with Todd Anderson ’84; some took in the lacrosse game; some saw the amazing renovations of first floor of Lane Library that is being transformed into  collaborative space); and some joined us at the many festivities the College had to offer.

We capped off the reunion Saturday night at the Blues & BBQ dinner where Dave Shogren ’84 and his band entertained us and invited Kurt Dietrich, Ripon’s big band jazz director, Greg Halvorsen ’84 and Mike Kennedy to join them. THANK YOU to Dave and the band for wonderful music and camaraderie. Also, Paul Schoofs, recently retired economics professor, stopped by to catch up and relax with the Class of 1984. Paul, thank you for all that you have done and given to the College over the years, and we wish you the best in retirement. 

Finally, while at the BBQ, we asked the attendees to write down their favorite memories or most fun part of the 35th reunion. Here are their responses:

• Gooseblind in Green Lake
• Golfing at Lawsonia
• 35 years of catching up with friends
• Reconnecting with all
• I don’t remember (of course we had to put this comment in there MIKE GALVAN ’84)
• Touring Willmore
• Tray ball behind the Phi Delta lounge
• Ripon fans rolling half barrels down the hill at the baseball field during the game with Lawrence
• Experiencing a perfect Wisconsin weekend
• Old “war stories” 
• Playing music with my former big band jazz director – DAVE SHOGREN ’84

The most frequent comment/question of all was “how do we motivate more people to attend the reunion weekends”? Now, some reached out but could not attend for various family reasons; TOM HORVATH ’84, MIKE SCHULTZ ’84, ANNE WILLIAMS LUNDBERG ’84, MIKE ’84 and KI ’83 MULFORD, ERIC LUSTY ’84 and BRIDGET ROWLEY SARNO ’84. We would like to hear what would bring you back to Ripon for a reunion. We already are planning for our 40th, so we encourage you to go online and update your info. We will reach out in the coming years to hear your thoughts around our 40th reunion. In the meantime, be well.

DAVE SHOGREN ’84 of Maplewood, Missouri, a Trustee of Ripon College, has been appointed to a two-year term on the U.S. Trade Finance Advisory Council by the U.S.  Commerce Department. The council is the principal advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on finance options for U.S. exporters. Shogren is president of U.S. International Foods LLC.

KAREN JOHNSON WILKEN ’84 and DIRK WILKIN ’81 moved from Brookfield to Delafield last year, “so we’ve been spending a lot of our spare time figuring out which household project to tackle next! Dirk celebrated 26 years at Harley-Davidson this summer with plans to hang on for a few more years before retiring. Seems like we have a culling of senior employees on an annual basis, so nothing is guaranteed.” Karen is still working at a charitable foundation, a job she’s had since 2002. Both their girls are out of school and out of state. Their older daughter lives in Indianapolis and their younger one lives in Durham, North Carolina. Both are gainfully employed and mostly liking their jobs. No news of romantic entanglements yet. 

Submitted by: Connie Herbon Moser

Barb Williams Clay

612-749-5010 / [email protected]

Greetings, Class of 1983. We have reached the end of an era with the last of our professors, “Doctor Bob” Wallace and Professor Paul Schoofs, retiring. It is with a sad heart that Ripon had to say good-bye to Julie Johnson, coach and athletic director, who lost her battle to cancer. A court in Weiske Gymnasium in the new Willmore Center recently was renamed the Johnson/Gillespie Court in her honor.

Spring in Paris was a highlight and I was able to meet up with PAUL EVENSEN ’83 for dinner (which happened to be the day that Notre Dame caught fire). My travel mates and I were thankful that we had the opportunity to see Notre Dame on the Saturday before it burned. Paul sends a big hello to his Ripon friends.

PATRICK YARBROUGH ’83 of Rockford, Illinois, will retire as associate circuit judge of the 17th Circuit Court on Aug. 31, 2019.

Thank you, Class of 1983, for an excellent demonstration of support for the May 1 #OneDayRally. Our class topped the chart with a donation of $129,259 and provided 12% of the total $1,085,314. Increasing our participation rate to be in the top 10 will be our next goal.

It’s fun to read class notes, so please contact me with updates to share.

Thanks,

BARB

Submitted by: Barb Williams Clay

Catherine Lothrop Hager   
925-984-6713 / [email protected]

Peter Hintz
920-229-4399 / [email protected]

Kristen Rasmussen Olson 

507-279-1091 / [email protected]  

Hello classmates: Your Class Agents send you greetings as we enjoy these warm days of summer! 

The last weekend of June is a special time every year, as Ripon College puts together a bash that is enjoyed by 500 or more alumni. For those of you who were able to attend Alumni Weekend at the end of June, we thank you for your efforts to stay connected. For those who could not attend, we hope to see you another time. Enjoying the reunion this year from the class of 1982 were PETRA JONES-TRUJILLO ’82, LISA MURPHY STAMOS ’82, LAUREL STEWART ’82, KRISTEN RASMUSSEN OLSON ’82, PETER HINTZ ’82, NANCY BUCK HINTZ ’82, LINDA JENSEN HALL ’82, WILLIAM FIEDLER ’82, TOBY STORZER ’82, ASHLEY COOPER ’82, DAVID WOOLF ’82 and KEVIN KING ’82. I apologize if I have missed the names of others who were there.

Over the weekend, various classmates from our graduating class enjoyed the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble on Thursday, the 12th Annual All-Alumni Reception at The Spot (formerly The Pub) on Friday evening, the Rally Run on Saturday morning, and other events throughout the weekend, including the “That Was Then” memory sharing, the Class March and All-Campus Lunch, the Alumni Lacrosse Game, the State of the College address, the Saturday evening All-Alumni Party and the Farewell Brunch. Other great activities offered included the Farr Hall Seminar, tennis, Frisbee golf, cycling, Greek socials and a Walk on the Prairie with Professor of Biology Emeritus Skip Wittler. There were more events than a single person could attend, but there was something for nearly everyone! One of our classmates, BILL FIEDLER ’82, was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday evening! Classmates from 1982 (and a couple of extras) gathered at Christianos in Green Lake for dinner on Saturday evening, and many stories were shared!

SIOBHAN CHAMP-BLACKWELL ’82: “STEVE SHEA ’82 and I have been working together, virtually, to assist in a workshop that will be offered in Madison, Wisconsin, in October 2019. The Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association is holding a full-day workshop so that librarians in Wisconsin, Illinois and surrounding states can learn more about being part of the disaster response and preparedness efforts in their communities. It’s been great fun to reach out to Steve for assistance in locating local speakers. His position on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors provides him insight into the emergency response workforce in the Madison area.  You never know when a fellow alum will have the exact answers that you need!”

Class Financial Update

June 30 was the end of the fiscal year, and our class held strong with 33% participation and a total of $55,464 in giving. This is just down from our reunion year of $62,000, but well over the trend of previous years (30K-45K range). Thank you all for stepping up and remembering Ripon College in your annual giving.

#OneDayRally (May 1) brought in more than $2 million dollars to the Ripon Fund, overall. Alumni support for this event was overwhelming. As a matter of fact, the College said that they saw more Ripon Fund donors this year than in the past five years!

Additional opportunities to participate in giving include the 1851 Club, which includes members who are philanthropic leaders at Ripon, committing to a gift of at least $1,000 a year. Members are honored with special 1851 Club ribbons at events and receive exclusive invites to presidential receptions. Ripon relies on the foundation these lead donors provide as their generosity helps plan for current and future needs of the College. 

Alumni who commit to including Ripon in their will or estate plans are named “Partners.” They also are noted as such by a ribbon at events. Ripon College honors the reunion class with the most new Partners each year during the Big Check presentation during the Alumni Weekend Saturday picnic. Lisa Ellis, associate vice president for advancement, is the staff point of contact for planned giving. She can be reached at [email protected] or 920-748-8349. See more about planned giving here: http://ripongiftplanning.org/?pageID=1003.

One final note: for those of you who have college-age children (or grandchildren, not too far in the future), please remember that Ripon’s curriculum and liberal arts education are as strong as ever! It is wonderful to see the legacy of two or more generations of a family attending Ripon. I (Kristen) am proud to see the legacy sticker on my nametag at each reunion! When looking at colleges for our daughter, we found Ripon’s cost to be very comparable to the state schools that were under consideration. Legacy funding is available, as well. Please see [email protected] for more information, or contact EMILY SHEEKS INGEMANN ’12, assistant director of admission, [email protected], or call 920-748-8744.

Thank you all for your support this year in giving, attending events and promoting Ripon College to your respective networks. So many of us feel fortunate to have made lifelong connections with classmates and remember our years at Ripon College very fondly.

We gratefully accept any class news you’d like to provide for our next newsletter. Please contact Kristen at [email protected], Peter at [email protected] or Cathy at [email protected].

Respectfully submitted,

Your Class Agents,

KRISTEN RASMUSSEN OLSON ’82

PETER HINTZ ’82

CATHY LOTHROP HAGER ’82

Submitted by: Kristen Rasmussen Olson

Larry Nikolaus

[email protected]

Class of ’81, belated or early happy 60th. From the pictures I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard, we are doing OK. Each time I have the chance to meet with one or our classmates it seems like only yesterday that we were in Ripon.

My wife, KATHERINE HARBUT NIKOLAUS ’81, and I had two Ripon visitors this summer. TOM ABENDROTH ’81 and his wife, Terri, visited Colorado Springs and joined us for dinner in June. Tom and Terri are living near Chicago and working as partners for their respective law firms.

In July, DONNA LESLIE ’81 was touring Colorado and we had the chance to take her to the top of America’s mountain (Pikes Peak) and enjoy some kayaking in local reservoir. Donna has retired from the Army as is currently living in Greensboro, North Carolina, with plans to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, when her house is completed.

MICHELE JAROSZ BATTLE ’81 is working in regulatory affairs at a plasma collection company, Octapharma Plasma Inc., at the corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. She deals with FDA, Europe, State and local regulatory agencies on all aspects of the business. Her husband, Tom, is working as an extractive metallurgy consultant so they do a lot of traveling to meetings all over the USA. Their son, Daniel, is working at Amazon as a programmer, and their daughter, Sarah, is getting ready to graduate from North Carolina, Chapel Hill with a degree is sports medicine. Michele is keeping busy and likes to stay in touch via email or messaging.

DIRK WILKIN ’81 and KAREN JOHNSON WILKEN ’84 moved from Brookfield to Delafield last year, “so we’ve been spending a lot of our spare time figuring out which household project to tackle next! Dirk celebrated 26 years at Harley-Davidson this summer with plans to hang on for a few more years before retiring. Seems like we have a culling of senior employees on an annual basis, so nothing is guaranteed.” Karen is still working at a charitable foundation, a job she’s had since 2002. Both their girls are out of school and out of state. Their older daughter lives in Indianapolis and their younger one lives in Durham, North Carolina. Both are gainfully employed and mostly liking their jobs. No news of romantic entanglements yet. 

LARRY

Submitted by: Larry Nikolaus

Margaret “Peggy” Gero DaValt

608-658-3779 / [email protected]

“History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.”  ~Kurt Vonnegut

Greetings to all of you in the Ripon College Class of 1980! Happy summer 2019. As I sit here writing this on the “last hour” before it’s really due (and I mean really due), I’ve been reflecting on so many things that have affected all of us associated with Ripon College and then with a more thorough thought process. It made me realize that it is mainly about life and how life truly is cyclic.  What came to mind was the notion of Apply shampoo. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Mr. Vonnegut’s quote does look to the positive and says just be prepared to be surprised again.

SAVE THE DATE (don’t forget … write this down) 

The Ripon College Class of 1980 will celebrate their 40th class reunion the last week in June in 2020.  WOWZA. CAN. YOU. BELIEVE. IT??? Please join me and anyone else willing to work on the Reunion Committee as we look forward to renewing and rekindling friendships and reliving memories (oh, there are so many … right friends??) I hate to beg … but please come back! It will be a blast!

Question for all of you – sharing is caring – go to the Class of 1980’s Facebook page and list three of your top favorite memories of Ripon College – go all out!!  

• Was it the Toga Party at Merriman House?  

• Was it a great speaker we had in – like James Doohan (Scotty) our last week of senior year?

• Was it meeting that special friend (who became your life partner?)

Be brave.  Plus, if I see this on the FB page, then I’ll know you read this letter. 

News in and Around Ripon

News Flash – Just in Today (July 17, 2019)

Important update from Ripon College and the Office of the President (for those of you who don’t know, President Zach Messitte has been on sabbatical in Italy and Vice President and Dean of Faculty Ed Wingenbach has been acting as the Interim President since the beginning of 2019). 

Dear Alumni and Friends, 

I write to share news that Ed Wingenbach, vice president and dean of faculty, has been named the eighth president of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. His last day on campus will be Aug. 1.

Hampshire has made a phenomenal choice to lead them through this important period in their history. I have no doubt Ed will do great things for them as he has for Ripon since arriving here in 2015. 

We are grateful for Ed’s significant contributions during his tenure at Ripon, which include working with faculty to create our innovative Catalyst curriculum and, most recently, serving as the acting president while I was on sabbatical last semester. 

I look forward to meeting with members of Ripon’s Faculty Advisory Council immediately to start the process of identifying an interim dean from amongst the Ripon faculty. This will be followed by the creation of a committee to lead a national search for Ripon’s next vice president and dean of faculty. 

Please join me in thanking Ed for his incredible work at Ripon College and this milestone achievement. We wish Ed, his wife Susan and their children all the best in their journey ahead.

Regards,

Zach Messitte, President and Professor of Politics and Government

Julie Johnson, former athletic director, passed away June 13, 2019  

Julie Johnson, the former athletic director (after our time at Ripon College) passed away having lost her battle with cancer.  Please take a moment to check out this incredible tribute to her and her tenure at Ripon College. In her 24-year career at Ripon, she really made a difference.  While I did not know Julie personally, I wish I had. Her incredible spirit was infectious and launched a whole new era in women’s sports at Ripon College. Having worked at Storzer for three of my four years at Ripon, I loved that place and all the sports did for each of us as individuals as well as the College. Thank you, Julie Johnson, for your zest for life and for your joie de vivre. May your successes on this earthly plane be remembered for years to come.  

https://riponredhawks.com/news/2019/6/14/womens-basketball-ripon-college-athletic-director-julie-johnson-passes-away-at-age-xx.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3yOmXe2VToRkI7L09aKmFIobhfJHgzy5F5WLOmJmJ0Dec7yQYz9UlVLKk

Class News

As many of you may have heard, our class co-agent, JEFF PENNEY ’80 resigned from his post. He helped me by providing another spin to life’s journey rather than mine (which is good). I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude for Jeff’s contribution(s) to Ripon College through his volunteering to be a co-class agent. I wish you all the best in your life endeavors, Jeff, and THANK YOU! I appreciate the difference you made for the Class of 1980.

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” ~John F. Kennedy

Jeff shared this with me when I quickly asked for Class News and Notes: “My son just got engaged in the hills of Colorado. Although he was accepted to Ripon, he chose to go to, faceless, mega university MSU. In addition, my daughter is going to Africa to serve a foundation that serves orphans through AIDS. Proud of both of them.”

JENNIFER FISCHER ’80 of Holyoke, Massachusetts, a registered nurse with a degree in law as well as in management, was named to the new position of chief experience officer at Holyoke Medical Center in February 2019.

JAMES D GREENEBAUM ’80: “My dog, Sparky, is 15 years, 9 months old.”

BILL QUISTORF ’80 of Everett, Washington, chief pilot with the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team in Washington state, received the German-American Friendship Award, presented by Honorary German Consul Uli Fischer. Quistorf was among the crew who rescued a stranded hiker and German citizen on the Pacific Crest Trail on Oct. 27. The hiker was hypothermic, frostbitten and in trouble in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in the Cascade Range. The story gained national and international news attention.

SUSAN ANGEL SCHMIDT ’80 went back to school this year.  She attended dog obedience class with her new dog Topaz.  Susan was the student while Topaz was her sidekick. She is happy to report that Topaz’ behavior is getting better. Both can be taught!

JENNIFER SPARROW ’80: “My youngest is at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  Checked “find my missing son” app to see his phone in a house kitty-corner to Tri-Dorms. One of his best college buds was throwing a party. Closest he ever got to Ripon.”

Thank you all for the information you share! As always, there is the FB group (here’s the link again, in case you really do want to sign-up and join us). It’s FREE! 

The link to ours is here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/283209381878413/)

Don’t forget: Our 40th Class Reunion will be one year from now.  

SAVE. THE. DATE.  June 26-28, 2020! 

I hope to see lots of you there!

To Ripon College,

JEFF PENNEY ’80 (One. Last. Time.)
PEGGY GERO DAVALT ’80

Submitted by: Peggy Gero Davalt

Kevin L. Warmack

773-220-5360 / [email protected] / [email protected]

Greetings All, it’s a little over a week since the 40th Reunion. Quite a few hardy souls showed up, and in the immortal words of BOB GRANT ’79, “Damn good time was had by all!”

For all, here is a recap of the Weekend:   

Thursday, June 27

After checking in, who should I meet but PAUL “MOSES” SHLIEN ’83. Paul started with us in 1975, roomed with JON “CORNFLAKE” HELLAND ’79 but left mid-year. Paul eventually finished with the Class of 1983. We headed downtown to Roadhouse and who’s holding court but BILL SCHNESE ’79! I hadn’t expected him this year (his son got married the week before), so it was a pleasant surprise. I also got to see GAIL GOODRICH TRACY ’79 and MIKE TRACY ’79.

Friday, June 28

The Courses of Lawsonia and the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble. Yes, I did tee it up along with BILL SCHNESE ’79 and BOB SCHMITT ’79. It was my first time out since last August when I got my bionic equipment. I played with BLAINE GIBSON ’79 and KEN PICKNEY ’79. We shot an 80 but is was a good 80!

Dinner at Norton’s. Usually I go to the Alumni Dinner but this year since we had no one getting any awards, I skipped the event and went to dinner at Norton’s with SUZY MEIER ’79, LEE POTTER ’79 and SANDY LUNDEEN MEYER ’79 and her husband, Jim. Good food, good drink, great conversation!

Saturday, June 29

After the usual, “That was Then,” BOB SCHMITT ’79 and I took part in the All-Campus March to lunch and the presentation of the Class Gift. Of course, I held up the Class of 1979 sign with my usual “4 Beers” salute!  But I also got to run into and have lunch with KAREN STEFFES DRISCOLL ’79 and TONY PONCE DE LEON ’79.

As to our Class Gift, here are the immortal words: “Mr. President, we are proud to share that in the five years since our last reunion, the Class of 1979 has raised $340,122! We also have added one new Partner in the Legacy in that time! With 42% of our class participating, the Class of 1979 is pleased to present to you our Class Gift in the amount of $72,335.00!”

On behalf of our Gift Chair, MIKE TRACY ’79, let me express my thanks to all of us who participated in the Class Gift!

The Alumni Lacrosse Game. On Upper Sadoff, I went down to the Alumni Lacrosse Game to watch the stars – BILL SCHNESE ’79, TED SHALLER ’79, JON HELLAND ’79, TONY PONCE DE LEON ’79, ART PETERS ’79 and members of the Ripon Lacrosse team play a select team of 15-year-olds. ANDY DICKSON ’79 and I stayed on the sidelines and watched as these old men barely got by the Wisconsin Select team by a score of 5-4. 

The Reunion Dinner. The 40th Reunion of the Class of 1979 was held in the atrium of Willmore Center (Storzer). In addition to most of the souls that I mentioned earlier, RUTH HOLLINGER PETERS ’79, KIM GOSSO LAUE ’79, ALAN LOVELL ’79, STORS DOWNEY ’79, DEB MARNOCCA ’79, HEIDI HASTINGS ’79, MATT DACY ’79 and LEA COLQUHOUN DACY ’79, BETH PALMBACK NEMECEK ’79 and JAY MCDONALD ’79 showed up and enjoyed each other and took a look at our yearbook. The highlight of the night was that we got to go to the team locker room to see the locker that a few of us contributed to in the name of NATE BOYA ’79. There was a small parting gift for those who attended; and some of you who didn’t make it just might receive one in the mail.

So the 40th Reunion is in the books and now it’s time to look forward to five years from now when we celebrate 45 years! I plan on being there and I hope that a few more of you will come home to Ripon one last time!

MARK COLEMAN ’79 – Mark had a good excuse, too. Mother-in-law birthday. We husbands do understand, Mark. Let’s just say, we missed you!!

MATTHEW D. DACY ’79 of Rochester, Minnesota, was featured in Ken Burns’ latest documentary, “The Mayo Clinic: Faith-Hope-Science,” which debuted on PBS in September 2018. At Mayo Clinic, he is the director of the Heritage Hall historical museum, assistant professor of the history of medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and also works in the development department.

ROYCE DUNBAR ’79 – Royce was down in St. Louis at the Elks Convention. But we all know, he just wanted to get close to the Stanley Cup!

MICHAEL GIBBS ’79 of San Antonio, Texas, has been promoted to executive vice president of the Whataburger restaurant chain. He also is continuing in his role as general counsel.

TOM OAKLEY ’79 – Congratulations are in order. Per a press release from February,   “Bioanalytical Systems Inc. is pleased to announce that D. Thomas “Tom” Oakley has been appointed as chief operating officer of the company, effective as of Feb. 11, 2019. Mr. Oakley will be responsible for leading operations among BASi’s three sites located in West Lafayette and Evansville, Indiana, and St. Louis, Missouri.” Tom and his wife were off in Ireland on the “three-hour tour.”

DIANE MOY QUON ’79 of Lake Forest, Illinois, earned an Academy Award nomination as producer of the documentary film “Minding the Gap,” released by Kartemquin Films. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking in U.S. Documentary Competition. It also recently won the prestigious Peabody Award.

MIKE ZAHN ’79 – Mike had a good excuse for not attending – he had to walk his daughter down the aisle. Having done that honorable task twice, I know Mike was full. Congratulations! By the way, Mike also retired in June.

As always, it is a pleasure to write to y’all. Special thanks to BETH PALMBACH NEMECEK ’79 for those Facebook posts from the College. Let’s plan to get together soon. By the way, I may be in your neighborhoods (work travel). So watch out for a reach out for a beer or three!

Also, when you got news, don’t hold on. Drop me a note so I can make your Class Letter the best!

Love Always, 

KEVIN L. WARMACK ’79

Submitted by: Kevin Warmack

Gregg Petersen

410-884-0407 / [email protected]

Dear Classmates: Welcome to summer, or rather fall, everyone! While this will appear in the fall, I am again writing it in June for the second year. First let me say thanks so much to our classmates who participated in the second annual #OneDayRally on May 1. While the current Ripon senior class led participation this year, we once again led all alumni classes. My most heartfelt thanks to those who gave generously and helped to remind the Ripon Office of Constituent Engagement of how well our class comes together when we choose to do so.  

Make sure you read the latest general updates from Ripon. Our enrollment numbers are looking much better this fall for the second year in a row

I am thrilled to tell you that this has been the best class letter input you have provided in some time! You made my task of pulling this together probably the easiest it has been in the 12 years I have been doing this. Thanks to all who provided an update!  

What updates? Well, we have the classmate who lives in a major city and had a day named in his honor by the mayor! We have another classmate not named Christopher George who has been leading a crucial “Rat Patrol” for 30 years. Another classmate aspires to be a “Road Scholar,” while another builds his own airplanes and the crafts actually fly, too. Other classmates traveled to jolly old England to visit our one of our published authors, while another classmate plans to become an author. Another classmate escorted a pilot who bombed his targets with 23 tons … of candy, without permission from his superiors, and won the Congressional Gold Medal. One classmate retired from the desert to the mountains, but not completely, another was just installed in a church along the Gulf Coast, and another will soon have in-laws in Myanmar. No, I did not make any of this up, we are just interesting people. Read on …

DANNI CALDWELL ’78 of Henderson, Nevada: “Advancing age is making itself known to my husband, Alan Potratz, and I, even though we don’t feel our ages! Alan had a hip replacement in May, and I had a cataract removed from my right eye in early June. The left eye cataract will be removed on June 26. We both have had easy recoveries from our respective procedures, for which we are thankful. Our oldest son, Sam, announced his engagement this Christmas. His fiancée, Sui Lynn, is a citizen of Myanmar, and in January, we will travel there for a Buddhist wedding ceremony. He has applied for a fiancée visa for Suyi and is awaiting word on that application. We continue to enjoy our lives in Nevada and keep active in our new 55-and-over community in Henderson.”

BECKY GALLOWAY ’78 of Shoreline, Washington: “Here’s a quick update from Shoreline (first cousin to Seattle) — I’ll retire from the other UW in August and am looking forward to …. still getting up early Monday through Friday to walk to my volunteer job at Whisker City, a kitty rescue shelter. Rick and I are looking forward to some “Road Scholar” trips (volunteer-run railroads are top of the list) and visiting friends and family from Portland to Pennsylvania.”

DAVE HANUS ’78 (Salem, Oregon): His wife, Ann, notes that Dave was, “… honored for his 30 years of volunteer service with the Marion County Search and Rescue Jeep Patrol. He serves as the Commander of Jeep Patrol. Over the years, he has been involved in countless searches to rescue stranded and injured people, transport emergency medical personnel during storms, find missing Alzheimer’s patients, teach kids wilderness survival skills, and assist in evidence searches.” I sent Dave a note that said, “(So you were) like a modern-day Christopher George in charge of a rescue Rat Patrol.” Dave responded, “Ha, ha. Funny you mention Rat Patrol. We have an upcoming training in helicopter hot loading and need eye protection. I asked our QM (quartermaster) if he could find some AN6530 goggles and included a picture of Christopher George with them. Ha. You (must be) reading my emails :). Oh, only jumped a dune in my FJ40 (jeep) once — too much damage and I ended up an inch shorter! Class letter, you bet. But the stories from the 600-odd missions over the years are more interesting than me.”

WILL HIGGINS ’78 of Indianapolis, Indiana: “Not to sound like a jerk, but Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett did proclaim Jan. 18, 2019, Will Higgins Day, which was nice except there was a blizzard with slide-offs, power outages etc. It was the last day of my 26-year journalism career with Indianapolis Star/Gannett/USA Today. Have some writing and video projects in the works and am doing some absurd art-type stuff of a dada nature (see American Society of Presidential Urine Collectors, see LinearBocce.com). I still play tennis and paddle tennis and am decent but can feel it slipping away — but so what? My wife, Dorothy Stites Alig, an actual artist, and I plan to split our time between Indianapolis and Northport, Michigan, and to also do some traveling and goofing around with our two grandsons.”

DAVE JUNG ’78 of Purcellville, Virginia, was invited to travel to Berlin, Germany, on May 12 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade. He was photographed with Col. Gail Halvorsen. According to Wikipedia, Halvorsen “is best-known as the Berlin Candy Bomber or Uncle Wiggly Wings and gained fame for dropping candy to German children during the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949. During (the Berlin Airlift) he founded Operation Little Vittles, an effort to raise morale in Berlin by dropping candy via miniature parachute to the city’s residents. Halvorsen’s operation dropped over 23 tons of candy to the residents of Berlin. Halvorsen has received numerous awards for his role in Operation Little Vittles, including the Congressional Gold Medal.”

DOUG KINGS ’78 was installed June 23 as pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in the Gulf coast town of Holmes Beach, Florida, on Anna Maria Island. He says, “It’s hot now but beautiful November through April. If you’re ever vacationing in the area, be sure to drop by.” 

THE REV. PAUL NANCARROW ’78, of Staunton, Virginia, will retire from parish ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church this fall. After 11 years at Trinity, and 33 years in the ordained ministry, Paul and Lee will move to the Twin Cities of Minnesota, where they will be close to Paul’s family and where Paul will take time to write up some of the theological ideas that have been incubating over three decades. There will also be bicycling!

JEFF OREAR ’78 of Peshtigo, Wisconsin: “I’ll put my two cents worth in for the class newsletter.  As you have seen on (Facebook), I sold my dental practice/building and retired at the end of April.  I’m currently experiencing the ‘what day of the week is it’ syndrome, as every day seems like Saturday to me now!  I’ve been doing a bunch of ‘binge’ flying because now, if it’s a nice day, I can literally take off and fly. Also have been spending more time with airplane project number 2, my Hatz Classic Biplane. So, as you see, I’m trying to adapt to this retirement thing as best I can.

“Our second oldest daughter, Kelly, blessed us with the birth of our fourth grandson, Ronan Edward Callahan, on March 6.  He’s quite the chubby-cheeked cutie. He will no doubt enjoy get-togethers with our oldest daughter Melanie’s three boys Colon, Aidan and Bennet. One more grandson and we’ll have a heck of a basketball team! This July, we will welcome another son-in-law, Josh, into our family as our youngest daughter Megan is getting married on the 13. Per usual, being an experienced father of the bride, I’m staying out of the planning and will show up where and when I’m told. So, as you can see, we’ve had a busy start to 2019.”  

JOE O’SULLIVAN ’78 of Tacoma, Washington: “Still enjoying semi-retirement as just received another trauma research grant. Decided on moving from San Antonio, Texas, to south of the Tacoma, Washington, area. Found a beautiful house on forested 20 acres with stunning mountain views. Also, my children have been busy over the last few years as I am now a grandpa times three. They are adorable. Looking forward to seeing everyone the next time our paths cross!”

BARB ROMANELLO ’78 of North Prairie, Wisconsin: “In January, GREGORY ROMANELLO ’77 and I traveled to the UK. We spent an incredible weekend visiting TAMMY BODEN-ELLIS ’78 in Taunton (three hours southwest of London). While Greg went off to work in London, I spent a week with Tammy fully immersed in the English culture. The Boden-Ellis’ homestead sits on Crown property with the original house dating back to the 1400s and a newer edition from the 1600s. I truly enjoyed catching up with her and reliving stories of Ripon College days.”

Class of 1978 Again Leads Alumni Participation for #OneDayRally May 1:  

As you may recall, our class topped all other class year groups in participation in the first-ever Ripon #OneDayRally last year by nearly 10% with 48 donations. This year, we AGAIN topped all alumni classes for participation! Although this may sound odd, we were the only pre-turn-of-the-century or pre-2000 class to be in the top 10 for participation. Thanks to this year’s participants in our leading #OneDayRally showing: JOSE ALEMAN ’78, DENISE BAIRD ’78, BETH BENEZRA ’78, DANNI CALDWELL ’78, DANNY DAVIS ’78 and JUDY REISINGER DAVIS ’76, PATRICIA GARDNER ’78, MARLA FULLER GARFIELD ’78 and HORACE GARFIELD ’78, MARK HEBDA, ALAN HODKIEWICZ ’78 and SUSAN HIGBY HODKIEWICZ ’77, HELEN HOLTER ’78, MARY HOLTROP ’78, MEREDITH VALENTINE JOHNSON ’78, LOUISA GEBELEIN JONES ’78, CARLA OLSEN LARSEN ’78, AMY ORR LARSON ’78 and KEVIN LARSON ’76, LAWRENCE LAUX ’78 and NINA WULFF ’77, KAREN ANDRESEN LEAHY ’78, ROBERT MEYER ’78, PATTI KRUG MORRELL ’78 and EDWARD  MORRELL ’77, PAUL NANCARROW ’78, JUSTIN NIEBANK ’78, JOSEPH O’SULLIVAN ’78, JEFF OREAR ’78, BILL OTTO ’78, LIZ PECHA-POELKER ’78, GREGG PETERSEN ’78, GRETA PORTER ’78, BARBARA JANSSEN PUGH ’78 and STEPHEN PUGH ’76, LINDA REMICK ’78, TOM RITSCH ’78, DONNA HANSEN SCYMANSKI ’78, SUSAN FEITH SHANNON ’78, JON VERSON ’78 and JOAN BALAUSKAS VERSON ’78,  LAURIE MEYER WAGNER ’78, JIM WILKES ’78, LISA WOLLAN ’78, JOHN ZINDAR ’78 and Anonymous x3.  

Special thanks to LOUISA GEBELEIN JONES ’78 who does outreach like this for a living and worked hand-in-virtual hand with me on our outreach and in coaching me. Many of you heard from her as she supported the #OneDayRally for 18 hours & 51 minutes (1851, the founding date of Ripon) in addition to performing her responsibilities at the Pomfret School on a normal workday, and refereed a lacrosse game on May 1.

So, it’s time to start planning for next year’s #OneDayRally — if you are planning to give to Ripon, you might consider waiting for May to make your contribution so we can continue our dominance. One other nuance is that if you are busy, travelling or otherwise unable to call in or do a web contribution on the day of the #OneDayRally, you can earmark or annotate a contribution given in the days before the Rally to count for Rally purposes. My wife and I give from a charitable trust, so it takes some time to send in the check. So, we gave in advance with special instructions for our contribution to count on the day of the Rally.  

Class Letter Updates: I am so very encouraged by the strong response you all (or ya’ll if you are south of the Mason-Dixon Line) provided for this letter, so morale is high here in Columbia, Maryland, today! I wonder what the rest of you folks have been doing. Please solve that mystery for me and your classmates and send in your updates and pictures for the spring ’20 letter and please continue to have a healthy, happy 2019!

Best wishes and warmest regards,

GREGG

Submitted by: Gregg Peterson

Alan Lawrence

920-730-9515 / [email protected]

With help from MARYJO MACSWAIN ’77, we have a Facebook page for our class. Please visit it. Then Like or Follow so that your news feed will include items about your classmates. Please also leave a posting about yourself: https://www.facebook.com/RiponCollegeClassof1977 

My wife and I participated at Alumni Weekend this past June 29. It is a multi-day event, but I’m fondest of the Saturday part of the program. I’ve been informed that I really should consider the Friday evening parts in future years.

Classes formally celebrate their “reunions” every fifth year, but many alumni make a practice of attending more frequently. Our next fifth anniversary reunion is in 2022. I was joined this year by MARYJO MACSWAIN ’77, JEAN BLACK ’77 and CONNIE JESS ZOLKOSKE ’77 for the Class March that walks from Todd Wehr Hall to the big tent beside The Commons for lunch and speeches. This space is called Memorial Lawn these days and is the site where Memorial Hall stood when we were students.

My daughter, JENNIFER RESCHKE ’14, was also present for Alumni Weekend because her class was celebrating its fifth reunion. It is not unusual to see two generations of alums in the same family coming together for the weekend.

On May 1, our College held its second annual #OneDayRally to raise funds in a single day.  Thanks to MARYJO MACSWAIN ’77 for offering a matching pledge and recording a video of herself asking classmates to participate. MaryJo summarized the event with these words, “Congratulations to Ripon College and to the Class of 1977! We had 23 donors and contributed almost $25,000, a significant improvement from last year. We ranked 18th in number of donors and 14th in dollars contributed.” Overall, the College raised $1,085,314 in the successful fundraiser.

Last spring LAIRD DECRAMER ’77 and LINDA GLAUBITZ DECRAMER ’89 of Princeton, Wisconsin, informed us that both of their children are currently Ripon students. “The Ripon tradition continues. Although our kids are polar opposites, CALLISTA DECRAMER ’20 (suave, sophisticated and likes to tango) and SULLIVAN DECRAMER ’21 (overzealous, long-haired and always looking for cash) both work tirelessly towards their goals.”

LARRY MALCHOW ’77, former executive director of development at Ripon College, has been receiving honors for his creative writing. “Wash the Crying River,” a short story won the John Steinbeck Award For Fiction, sponsored by Reed Magazine of San Jose State University. His first short story, “Trapped,” was a semifinalist in the Machigonne contest sponsored by the New Guard Literary Review. His second short story, “Liberty Motel,” was a finalist for the Portal Prize in Speculative Fiction and will be published in Easy Street magazine. His latest story, “Molecular Music,” can be read for free online at cagibilit.com. Click on Issue 7: July 2019, scroll down and click on “Molecular Music.”

SUSAN LENNON SOLBERG ’77 and Curtis Solberg of Greenville, Wisconsin: “We have been enjoying a new granddaughter this year! KELLY SOLBERG WILHELME ’06 had this baby this last June. Life is busy and blessed!”

Please send news about yourself either to the College or to me to be shared in our next class letter. We’d love to hear from you.

Remember that your financial help is very important to help keep Ripon a competitive and quality institution. Your donations are important every year. Your participation is very important.

Always for Ripon, 

ALAN

Submitted by: Alan Lawrence

Jondi Gumz

831-461-1120 / [email protected]

Dear Classmates, Have you seen the new R Connections online? You can find it at www.ripon.edu/rconnections. Basically, Ripon College is taking advantage of technology that didn’t exist back in 1975 to help alumni connect. You can submit your news and photos, report alumni sightings and obituaries, and read class letters from all the classes. I posted a photo from my visit with BECKY HADLEY ’75 in San Antonio, Texas. That’s where I read about LOIS VAN LEER ’78 pastoring the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, Oregon, the mayor of Indianapolis honoring journalist WILL HIGGINS ’78 for his 26-year career with the Indianapolis Star/USA Today, and Mr. Basketball, Coach DICK BENNETT ’65. So check it out. Your news will make it a valuable resource.

Next, our 45th reunion is coming up in 2020, believe it or not. Dates are June 25-28, 2020, the last weekend in June. RICK ESTBERG ’75 of Severna Park, Maryland, has agreed once again to put together his Ripon Jeopardy game, which I am sure will be a highlight for everyone! Of course, there will be a class gift. One idea I have is a treasure hunt for classmates to visit special spots on campus — some you have not seen because they are new and some might not be recognizable because they have been renovated. What would you like to see or do? Which classmates do you want to see? Let me know. The folks on campus are inviting alumni to campus July 12 for a reunion planning get-together. I will be in Detroit with one of my sisters and I am hoping to Skype or FaceTime in. If you want to participate, use the online form below set up by the campus. AMY GABRIEL GERRETSEN ’04, [email protected], is our campus contact for conference calls starting in August.

Three important deadlines are coming up:

Aug. 15: Deadline to nominate a classmate for the Distinguished Alumni Citation. I want one of our classmates to be among the 2020 honorees so if you have a recommendation, let me or Amy know.

Oct. 1: Deadline to request a campus venue for our reunion. Great Hall in Harwood Memorial Union can fit 200; Heritage Room in Pickard Commons can fit 80; Lane Library, 60; West Hall, 60; Rodman Center, 60; and Bovay Terrace, 60, for a reception only. All the others are big enough for a dinner. The library or West Hall could be fun but I am leaning toward Great Hall or the Heritage Room. Why? Each has a sound system, which we’ll need for Jeopardy. Size matters, so if we have a big turnout with spouses attending, we’d need the bigger location. Do you have a preference? 

Nov. 1: Deadline to choose between a dinner event, $40 per person, or a reception event with appetizers only, $35 per person. Each has a cash bar or classmates who wish can buy the new add-on “alcohol package” for $35 per person covering beer and wine at four events: Friday night reception, Saturday lunch, Saturday evening reunion events and the All-Alumni Party with music Saturday night. I favor the dinner because it works well for Jeopardy. If the College has your current email, you should have gotten an email inviting you to volunteer to help with 2020 Reunion planning. I did! 

If you can help me with planning the reunion, or email me directly at [email protected]. Got questions? The College has put together a nifty nine-page PDF reunion planning guide with more details on timelines, and I can forward that to you. Just let me know!

I have good news to share: My integrative oncologist looked at my thermogram and my blood and urine tests in June and said, “Your numbers look fantastic!”

I’ve been following the “Radical Remission” approach. No chemo, radiation or drugs with side effects. Less stress, more movement and healthier nutrient-dense food. Left my reporting job after 26 years, which gives me more time to do Jazzercise, yoga and Qi Gong, go to farmer’s markets, make more meals at home with fresh veggies, fruit, pastured organic eggs, wild salmon and grass fed beef. No more coffee but lots of tea and Vitamin D, Vitamin Bs and C, plus zinc and selenium to reach optimum preventive levels. I have so much energy I have started a six-month program to become a health coach.

WARREN BLUHM ’75 of Luxemburg, Wisconsin: “My goal for 2019 was to resume my life as a publishing mogul. This week I published Myke Phoenix: The Complete Novelettes for Kindle and print; in July I plan to publish a collection of 101 reflections called A Bridge at Crossroads; and sometime this summer I’m going to launch The Roger Mifflin Collection, a series of editions of vintage books recommended by the proprietor of The Haunted Bookshop in the classic Christopher Morley novel I found a year ago and fell in love with. My Kewaunee County Comet news website continues to build momentum, but not so fast that I can leave my day job as editor of the Oconto County Times Herald. So I spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen these days! CJ, on the other hand, is fully engaged in retirement, helping plan her son, Lee’s, Aug. 10 wedding and pitching in as Lee and Sarah build their dream home.”

GEORGE BOOTHBY SR. ’74 of Montvale, New Jersey, will be among the Scoutmasters chosen to participate in the 2019 World Scout Jamboree in July at the Bechtel Summit in West Virginia. He will be responsible for providing guidance and supervision to 300 Scouts and Scoutmasters. He got involved with the Boy Scouts of America in 1992 as an assistant den leader. His wife, LOUISE BOOTHBY RENIER ’75, volunteered with the Girl Scouts of America for 12 years. Their son, George Jr., is an Eagle Scout, and daughter, Catherine, is a Gold Award recipient.

GEORGIANNE BRAVICK ’75, of Appleton, Wisconsin, who has been teaching middle school students in De Pere, Wisconsin, traveled in June to Atlanta, or as she calls it “Hotlanta,” for some sister fun.

DORN CARLSON ’75, of Saint Leon, Maryland, who retired in February after nearly 19 years at the National Sea Grant College, is working on his garden. He reports on Facebook that his ornamental peach tree is growing actual peaches.

SUE CHAPMAN CARLTON ’75 and her husband, Ray, have a new home address: 246 Olive St., Fort Mill, SC 29715, not far from Charlotte, North Carolina. She writes, “We are enjoying it very much, meeting many new friends and participating in numerous activities: water aerobics, golf, bocce ball, chair yoga, wine club, Metro NY club etc. Our kids are visiting now from New Jersey and Florida, and we’re renting a pontoon boat on Lake Wylie.”

JIM CURTIS ’75 and his wife, Cindy of Clinton, Connecticut, hit a milestone when their son, Sam, graduated from high school with plans to attend Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Services to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Their daughter, Alena, is pursuing her dreams as a freestyle skier. 

DENNIS FRAHMANN ’74 of Cambria, California, has written a new book, The Long Table Dinner, available on Kindle, about a cranky old rancher with grass-fed cattle who allows his coastal property to be the venture for a $250-a-plate dinner for 200+ people. “A finely crafted story about late-in-life regrets,” according to Kirkus Reviews. Dennis started with our class in 1971 and graduated in three years. When JAN PETROVSKI MACLEOD ’74, 1974 Class Agent, asked if Dennis and husband Robert were planning to come to Ripon for the 2019 reunion, Dennis said they definitely plan to be back on campus for the 50th.

RUTH GALES FRECHMAN ’75 of North Hollywood, California, participated in the inaugural Plant-Based Nutrition Leadership Symposium. She gave her assessment of the trendy low-carb diet for a report on NBC-TV New York.

BECKY HADLEY ’75 of San Antonio, Texas, and her husband, Peter Szermach, enjoyed a visit to Chicago to see family and art.

KAREN KUCKHAHN KEHL ’75 of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, retired in June. She spent 28 years teaching at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran School, specializing in third and fourth grade with duties as co-athletic director. She was recognized with a big reception, and her mom flew in from Florida for the celebration.

JULIE OLSON KEILMAN ’75 and her family saw “Hamilton,” the smash musical, at the Kansas City Music Hall.

KATHY KURKE ’75 of Ormond Beach, Florida, and husband Richard Davis celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this year. Since retiring in 2007 from NASA as chief legal counsel, Kathy has become an artist. In February, one of her abstract pieces, a mixed media work titled “On the Verge,” won a Merit Award at a show in Daytona Beach, Florida.

MICHAEL REES ’75 of Lakewood, Colorado, retired a year ago after 27 years as a planner with the National Park Service in Denver and 6½ years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska and Washington, D.C. He writes, “I’m now keeping busy volunteering, in the NPS Technical Information Center, at Saint Anthony Hospital, as a trailhead steward at the Jefferson County open space parks, and as an usher for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I’m also doing lots of hiking. Enjoying my retirement!”

STEVE RUGO ’75, principal at Rugo/Raff Ltd. Architects in Chicago, provided design input for a new restaurant, Virtue, with Southern soul food by award-winning chef Erick Williams, and was just named by Eater as “one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago.”

PETER SWAN ’75 who lives in Hollywood, South Carolina, with his wife, Alexis, went back to work as a special education teacher.

I hope you will put June 25-28, 2020, on your calendar. Join us for all the fun!

All news welcome!

Your class agent, 

JONDI GUMZ ’75

Submitted by: Jondi Gumz